New Delhi,July 10: Scientists have identified a family of genes responsible for tumour growth in a wide spectrum of difficult to treat brain tumours.

"With these new genetic findings, our group of researchers plan to develop targeted therapeutics that we hope will one day be used treat patients with high grade brain tumours and increase their survival," study said.

High grade brain tumours, known as gliomas, are difficult to treat with only a single digit five-year survival rate. Most patients treated for primary gliomas develop secondary gliomas, which are almost always fatal.

"Any given tumour can harbour a variety of different combinations of mutations,"said Moise Danielpour."Despite advances in radiation and chemotherapy, there are currently no effective curative regimens for treatment for these diverse tumours,"

Researchers first modelled high grade brain tumours from resident stem cells inside the brain, using a cutting edge method of rapid modelling that can create up to five distinct tumour models within 45 minutes.

After effectively modelling high grade brain tumours, researchers identified the Ets family of genes as contributors to glioma brain tumours.

These Ets factors function to regulate the behaviour of tumour cells by controlling expression of genes necessary for tumour growth and cell fate.

When expression of the Ets genes is blocked, researchers can identify and strategise novel treatment therapies.